Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Oct. 20: In one of the most extensive military purges in decades, China has expelled nine top generals from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Thursday and the Communist Party of China (CPC) amid a widening anti-corruption campaign under President Xi Jinping.
The Ministry of National Defense announced that the officers were removed for “serious violations of Party discipline” and “duty-related crimes involving especially large sums of money.” Among those dismissed is He Weidong, the PLA’s second-highest-ranking officer and vice-chair of the Central Military Commission (CMC), marking the highest-level military removal since Xi began his anti-graft drive in 2012. Others expelled include senior commanders from the Ground Force, Navy, Rocket Force, and Armed Police.
The purge extended to Miao Hua, former head of the CMC’s Political Work Department; Lin Xiangyang, ex-commander of the Eastern Theatre Command; Wang Houbin, ex-commander of the PLA Rocket Force; Yuan Huazhi, former Navy political commissar; Qin Shutong, Ground Force political commissar; Wang Chunning, former commander of the People’s Armed Police; Wang Xiubin and He Hongjun, both deputy heads in the CMC’s Political Work Department.
The official narrative frames this as part of Xi Jinping’s decade-long campaign to ensure “purity and loyalty” within the PLA. The campaign aims to strengthen centralised control and prevent corruption in defence procurement, promotions, and weapons contracts, which have long been seen as fertile ground for graft.
However, analysts suggest deeper political motives. The timing, just before a key Communist Party fourth plenum, points to Xi’s intent to consolidate power and eliminate potential dissent within the military hierarchy. The Rocket Force, China’s strategic missile arm, has faced repeated upheavals, raising speculation of internal discontent or breaches of loyalty.
Since taking power in 2012, Xi Jinping has overseen multiple waves of military purges. The PLA Rocket Force saw the abrupt disappearance of its top commanders, Li Yuchao and Xu Zhongbo, amid reports of leaks and corruption in missile procurement programs.
Experts see these dismissals as both a continuation of anti-graft measures and a pre-emptive strike against potential challengers. “Xi’s purges are as much about discipline as they are about political control,” said one Beijing-based observer cited by Reuters. “He wants a military that is absolutely loyal to him personally.”
